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Descriptions

W.D. Clayton, M. Vorontsova, K.T. Harman & H. Williamson

© Copyright The Board of Trustees, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Piptatherum purpurascens

HABIT Perennial; caespitose; clumped densely. Basal innovations intravaginal. Culms erect; 15–60 cm long; 3 -noded. Culm-internodes distally glabrous. Leaf-sheaths smooth, or scaberulous. Ligule an eciliate membrane; 3–6 mm long; 2–4 mm long on basal shoots; acute. Leaf-blades flat, or involute; 3–25 cm long; 1.5–2 mm wide; grey-green. Leaf-blade surface scaberulous; rough abaxially; puberulous; hairy adaxially.

INFLORESCENCE Inflorescence a panicle.

Panicle open; elliptic; 7–12 cm long; 2–6 cm wide; bearing few spikelets. Primary panicle branches ascending, or spreading; 2–3 -nate; with lower 0.33–0.5 length of panicle; bearing 1–3 fertile spikelets on each lower branch. Panicle branches scabrous.

Spikelets solitary. Fertile spikelets pedicelled.

FERTILE SPIKELETS Spikelets comprising 1 fertile florets; without rhachilla extension. Spikelets lanceolate; dorsally compressed; 5.5–9 mm long; breaking up at maturity; disarticulating below each fertile floret. Floret callus curved; glabrous; obtuse; disarticulating transversely; with elliptic scar.

GLUMES Glumes persistent; similar; exceeding apex of florets; thinner than fertile lemma. Lower glume ovate; 1 length of upper glume; membranous; without keels; 9 -veined. Lower glume apex acute. Upper glume ovate; 5.5–9 mm long; membranous; without keels; 7 -veined. Upper glume apex acute.

FLORETS Fertile lemma elliptic, or ovate; widest at 0.5 of its length from base; dorsally compressed; 3.2–4.5 mm long; 1.3–1.5 mm wide; coriaceous; without keel. Lemma surface pubescent. Lemma margins involute; exposing palea. Lemma hairs white, or yellow. Lemma apex obtuse; awned; 1 -awned. Principal lemma awn 3–4 mm long overall; deciduous. Palea coriaceous; 2 -veined; without keels.

FLOWER Lodicules 3; 1 mm long. Anthers 3; 2–2.5 mm long; yellow; anther tip penicillate.

FRUIT Caryopsis with adherent pericarp; ellipsoid; 2.4–2.6 mm long. Embryo 0.33 length of caryopsis. Hilum linear; 0.9 length of caryopsis.

DISTRIBUTION Asia-temperate: Soviet Middle Asia and western Asia.

NOTES Stipeae. Freitag 1995.

Please cite this publication as detailed in How to Cite Version: 3rd February 2016.